More Indigenous Voices

Posted on Nov 8, 2011 in history, people


How was the Native American re-programmed? How does an educational system focus minds and hearts of any race or country?

Listening to the experience of the Native Americans through Cornel Pewewardy’s words, this makes me think about how western education, at the turn of the 20th century, might have, at the same while introducing western civilization to the country of the Philippines(and prepping Philippine nationals to become consumers of products of U.S. and other western multinational corporations)… created our people’s own one-sided “miseducation.” This education (or programming) must have also  taken away something, something very special from indigenous and Filipino people in general in the Philippines.

“U.S. Public education systems espouse 4 qualities by the time you finish high school where you become very individualistic, very Eurocentric, very materialistic and very competitive…. those are so unorthodox to traditional knowledge and traditional teachings… for native peoples. So we have to get back to those [traditional indigenous] teachings… using the best qualities of the best for where we are today to grow into the future…”

What teachings, learnings and ways of seeing the world and living in it do we want to get back to when we re-traditionalize or re-indigenize?

Also try to find and read Renato Constantino’s “The Miseducation of the Filipino.”

Just things to think about, to listen to, read and consider in the bigger scheme of things, that is, if you have the time and the interest…

peace,
Omehra
BagongPinay

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